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Gojiraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

That's the general sentiment the public gave us as we sped by in our 2009 Nissan GT-R test vehicle.

It's been a while since Nissan rolled out a new GT-R off their production line, so it's release was surrounded by a lot of anticipation.

Overall Summary

Specs

Price:         Standard - AUD$155,800, Premium - AUD $159,800
Engine:      3.8-litre twin-turbo V6
Power:      357kW @ 6400rpm
Torque:     588Nm @ 3200-5200rpm
Trans:       Six-speed twin-clutch automatic
Weight:     Standard - 1747kg, Premium - 1751kg
Fuel Cons:  12.4L/100km
Safety:       Front + Rear + Side Airbags, Stability control
0-100km/h:  3.9 secs

What's Good

• Cornering abilities and powerful acceleration makes it feel like a supercar and is unbeatable for any car in its price range
• Brilliant traction thanks to the AWD
• Superb electronic-display system showing vehicle and driver data

What's Bad

• Car design leaves some blind spots
• Suspension is a bit hard on uneven roads
• No SATNAV

Full Car Review

What's New

The most noticeable thing when you first step up to the car is the newly styled body. The GT-R has lost it's Japanese muscle look and it now seems like designers have stolen a few lines from the 350z stencil. We can't say we are big fans of the direction change but it's not a bad looking car. Along with the new body style is added kilograms and a much larger 3.8 litre twin turbo engine. 

There are also a whole new collection of interior features and gadgets  that come in the new model.

Perhaps the biggest change in the whole car is it's list price. At around $AUD155,000 the R35 makes the R34's r.r.p. look like peanuts.

Features

Some of the new features in the new R35 are:

• Nissan Intelligent Key™ with Push Button Ignition
• Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System
• HomeLink® Universal Transceiver
• Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC)
• In-cabin micro filter
• Steering wheel-mounted controls
• Heated Leather Front Seats W/synthetic suede inserts
• 9GB Hard Drive for Music (MusicBox)
• Bose Sound System with 11 speakers and 2 subwoofers (only in premium model)
• Electronic analog instrument cluster with upshift indicator, multi-function drive computer and digital gear indicator
• Color Touch-Screen Display for Audio, Navigation and Vehicle Performance (See below for more details)

Touch Screen Display

Perhaps the most exciting feature in the car is the touch-screen display which displays a variety of vehicle information. The display was a joint effort by Sony Polyphony Digital and Xanavi Infomatics Corp. There are 11 screens with digital and graphical readouts of vehicle and motion data:

• 2 x Reconfigurable Screens (3 Readouts) - Drivers can choose coolant temperature, oil temperature & pressure; transmission oil temperature & pressure; turbo boost pressure; fuel range; injector pressure; recent fuel economy; and G-force
• 2 x Reconfigurable Screens (6 Readouts) - Drivers can choose above choices along with front/rear torque distribution; driver’s accelerator, brake pedal and steering angle inputs; and clock
• 1 x Acceleration screen - Acceleration G-force, turbo boost and driver’s acceleration
• 1 x Braking screen - Braking G-force, digital speedometer and driver’s braking
• 1 x Steering screen - Lateral (cornering) G-force, digital speedometer and driver’s steering angle input
• 1 x Gear Position screen - Gear efficiency, digital speedometer and gear selection
• 1 x Fuel Economy screen - Recent fuel efficiency (Graph/Average, and instantaneous fuel economy
• 1 x Lap Time screen - Lap timers and digital speedometer
• 1 x Driver’s Notes Screen - Notes, Fuel range (distance to empty), Trip distance

The monitor also displays an interface for programmable vehicle settings, vehicle information or input for audio and navigation systems.

Drive

The R35 is slightly heavier then its predecessors coming in at about 1.8 tonnes. This may seem like a drag but the truth is that you don't feel the extra poundage because along with a heavier body comes a more powerful engine. We have been upgraded from the 2.5 litre twin-turbo to a 3.8 litre twin-turbo. This pushes out a frightening 357kW. Thanks to the electronics you can feel this extra 'oomph' on every gear.

The launch system unfortunately is disabled in the Australian model but from what we heard it adds an extra punch to taking off.

Cornering in the skyline is nothing less then beautiful. The all-wheel drive allows you to hug sharp turns at speeds that will send lesser cars tumbling off the track.

Braking is a bit rough at high speeds, and this is where the extra pounds on the car can be felt. It is still more then reliable but can be a bit jarring to the driver as it is anything but gentle. City driving however was no problem when you are following the speed limits.

Fuel economy is not great at 12L/100Kms but somehow we don't think that is what Skyline drivers are looking for in their vehicle. 

Feel

The sloping roof, high-tech instrument panel and push-button ignition starter make you feel more like you are in a plane rather then a car. It is perfect except for some visibility problem due to the rear panel on the passenger side of the car which leaves a blind-spot.

Rear seating as always, is tight and claustrophobic but forgivable because the Skyline is plain and simple a driver's car.

Overall Rating

4.5 out of 5

In its price range it is perhaps the best buy you can have. In fact the next closest car in terms of performance starts at double the price. The interior features and new larger engine were big wins for us. The 4WD as always is what defines the GTR and tweaks to the system can be felt once you're behind the wheel.

It came short of a perfect score primarily because we miss it's old muscle look and the added weight reduced mobility and comfort in some driving conditions.

Specification Source: www.nissanusa.com

Competitors

Porsche 911

BMW M3

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